Thread by @therecount

Zendaya won an Emmy last night, the youngest best lead actress and second-ever Black woman to win.

In her speech, she offered a hopeful message for the future and acknowledged activists in the streets: “I see you, I admire you, I thank you.”

Gen Z (or Zoomers) is a very political generation. Their formative years have been characterized by multiple mass shootings, a rapidly changing climate, police brutality, recessions, the 2016 election, protests, and of course, a pandemic.

And Gen Z is ready to vote.

Gen Z’s sheer size has caused a sea change in the American electorate: A whopping 24 million people have turned 18 since the 2016 election, and Gen Z is the most racially diverse and digitally connected generation in history.
npr.org/2020/09/09/911…

Baby Boomers have dominated politics since the ‘90s (when many Gen Z’ers and younger millennials were born).

Now, this is the first election in which a greater share of the electorate is likely to be under the age of 40.
brookings.edu/blog/the-avenu…

While three-quarters of Boomers are white, half of Americans under 40 are not. More Millennials and Zoomers than Boomers have college degrees.

Two of the most reliable predictors of Democratic party affiliation? Race and education.
economist.com/united-states/…

And it’s true: A majority of voters under 30 have chosen Democratic candidates in every general election since 2004.

Zoomers especially fall to the left on the issues — here’s how they compare vs. older generations:
pewsocialtrends.org/2019/01/17/gen…

But here’s another way Gen Z differs from its older counterparts: They’re less likely to vote.

While 70% of Boomers reliably vote, only a little more than 40% of Americans under 30 cast a vote in both the 2012 and 2016 general elections.
theconversation.com/why-so-few-you…

Even in 2018, a year marked by historic turnout for a midterm election, Boomers outvoted every other age group.

But Gen Z *increased* their numbers most, doubling the amount of voters aged 18-25 in 2018 vs. 2014. We'll see if that same energy continues.
pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019…

Thanks to their sheer size — and if they turn out — Gen Z will shape the Democratic electorate in not just this election, but every election after it.

As Zendaya said when she won best actress: There is hope in the young people.